Recipe: Sheet Pan Honey-Chipotle Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
For a fast way to way mix up your weeknight chicken routine, look no further than this boldly seasoned dish. Thanks to a quick honey-chipotle marinade, meaty chicken thighs and chunks of sweet potatoes pick up spicy, smoky flavor with a bit of sweetness.
And since we’re making this on a sheet pan, your whole dinner is ready at once — easy prep and easy cleanup!
An Easy, Flavor-Packed Marinade, Thanks to Chipotles
In order to keep this ingredient list short, we harnessed the power of that tiny can of chipotle chiles in adobo sitting in your cabinet. A staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine, chipotles in adobo are simply smoked and dried jalapeño peppers that are preserved in a sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce called adobo. A can will hardly set you back a couple of dollars and, once opened, the remnants will last weeks in your refrigerator (stored in an airtight container) and even longer in your freezer. So if you’ve been looking for a way to use the last of it up, this recipe is for you.
Blend a few of the chiles and a bit of their sauce with garlic, olive oil, honey, cumin, and lime, and you’ve got a spicy, smoky, sweet, and tangy marinade that’s ready for anything. Here, chicken thighs, chunks of sweet potato, and red onion get the royal treatment, but don’t stop there. Try the marinade on anything from roasted shrimp to grilled steak (flank would be amazing!) to baked tofu.
This marinade is best when you give it between two and 24 hours to do its thing; if you toss everything in a bag the night before, this colorful dish takes little more than 30 minutes to cook.
Sheet Pan Honey-Chipotle Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 individual
chipotle chiles from a can of chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 cloves
garlic
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 tablespoon
honey
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1
medium lime, halved, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 2 pounds
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2
large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1
medium red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup
coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
Place the chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, garlic, oil, honey, cumin, juice of half a lime, and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
Place the chicken, sweet potato, and red onion in a large zip-top bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and shake to evenly coat everything in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F.
Place the chicken skin-side up and the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the chicken registers 165°F in the thickest part of the meat not touching bone and the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized, 30 to 35 minutes.
If the chicken skin isn't as crispy as you'd like, broil for a few minutes until the skin is browned and crisp. Remove from the oven, squeeze the remaining lime half over the chicken and vegetables, and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve over rice.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this recipe gluten free, make sure the chipotles in adobo contain no wheat.
Spice level: This recipe is fairly spicy. If you prefer a milder, gentle heat, use 2 chipotle chiles instead of 3.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.